How to create a new area using Site Manager

Summary

This article shows how to create a new area using Site Manager.

Prerequisites

None. You can use this article on its own.

Guide

Before you start, remember to:

• Install and deploy the default services with a new dataset

Creating a walls file

A walls file is a simple text file containing the 2D co-ordinates of walls. The following example is for a square room with a divider.

Save a file "example_walls.dat" with the example text in.

Loading a walls file

In Site Manager, go to the "Areas" tab and click on Walls > Load Walls.

Browse to the walls file you created in the previous section and load it. The map will show the walls defined by the {x, y} co-ordinates in the file.

Now you need to click on Regions > Compute Regions.

Regions are contiguous areas of floor space not separated by doorways or other obstructions, allowing you to define rooms and set privacy levels for different parts of the building. See the Site Manager help for more details.

Saving the area

To save the area, click on Area > Save Area As and enter a name for your area. The description is optional, but useful in datasets with more than one area.

Finally, click Save to commit your area to the dataset. Any changes you make in Site Manager will not be committed until you click Area > Save Area or Area > Save Area As.

Note on computing regions

A region is a convex polygon of floor space. "Compute Regions" will not converge when the walls file produces a single convex polygon. It will converge if you add a wall of any size to the inside of the polygon. For example, compute regions will not work for the following walls file.

Adding a single point inside the square means that compute regions will work for the following walls file.

Note on using the area toolbar

You can use the toolbar in the "Areas" tab of Site Manager to modify your area, including setting the wall height, defining public and private rooms. See the Site Manager help for more details.